Georgia runs over Charlotte. What we learned in 49ers’ loss to No. 4 Bulldogs

The Charlotte 49ers had 1.9 million reasons to make the trip between the hedges Saturday afternoon, matching up with the No. 4-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a David vs. Goliath matchup.

And Kirby Smart’s playoff-hopeful Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1 SEC) looked every bit as good as advertised, cruising past the 49ers (1-10, 0-7 American) in their final tune-up ahead of rivalry week against No. 16 Georgia Tech, winning 35-3.

It was a quiet day for Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, with Smart opting for a heavy dose of the run game, totaling five touchdowns on the ground. Tailback Bo Walker headlined the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, leading the way with a hat-trick of scores, finding the end zone repeatedly against Charlotte’s defense.

“Tip my hat to coach Smart and his staff. Tons of speed on the field, that’s hard to simulate for us in practice,” Charlotte head coach Tim Albin said after the game. “I thought our defense fought hard for all four quarters and had a great second half. Our 26 seniors are doing the best they can to lead us through this difficult (season).”

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 28-point lead, scoring touchdowns on four of their first five possessions to open the action. Searching for small victories as 43.5-point underdogs, the 49ers’ defense stopped the Bulldogs on the game’s first drive — delaying the inevitable.

Charlotte’s defense showed some fight early in the action, with Curtis Simpson recording a sack of Stockton, and Ja’Qurious Conley recording Charlotte’s lone takeaway the following play. The 49ers got on the board with a 42-yard Liam Boyd field goal as the first half expired, but as it has been for much of the season, Charlotte couldn’t engineer a scoring drive out of the half to put up a fight.

Albin added: “It was unfortunate we couldn’t take advantage (on offense).”

As expected, the Bulldogs’ defense swarmed Grayson Loftis and the 49ers’ offense. Loftis tossed his first of two interceptions early in the action, halting a streak of three consecutive three-and-outs to open the game (five on the day in 11 drives).

Loftis finished 14 of 27 for 130 yards and two interceptions.

It was clear that Smart and the Bulldogs had no interest in running up the score, pulling Stockton early in the third quarter after taking a decisive 35-3 lead. Ryan Puglisi replaced Stockton, with Georgia turning on the “chew clock” feature and setting its sights on championship goals while preserving its health.

Record-breaking matchup

The Bulldogs paid the 49ers $1.9 million for the late-November non-conference matchup, marking the most that Georgia has paid for a game, and the most the 49ers have ever received in a contest.

And as 43.5-point underdogs at kickoff, the biggest in the program’s history, Charlotte covered the spread, benefiting from Georgia’s cautious approach in the second half.

Albin was complimentary of Smart’s roster, but made sure to highlight the stark NIL difference between the two programs.

“Defensively, they’ve got great scheme. It’s like playing an NFL team, but a better scheme. You can quote me on that,” said Albin. “This is not a complaint, but with NIL, for what we spend on our (entire) roster, that’s one guy for them.”

Smart and the Bulldogs now fall to 0-16 against the spread when favored by 38 or more points, according to Bleacher Report.

More Power Four matchups in the future? Albin’s not so sure

The 49ers have scheduled one, and even two matchups against Power Four opponents every season over the past few years – under the direction of former athletic director Mike Hill. And Charlotte has two more on the schedule next season, hosting Ole Miss and heading to Louisville.

Albin was asked about the scheduling philosophy moving forward, which featured two Power Four opponents this season.

“At the time, (scheduling games like this) is what you do. On the scheduling piece, you’ve got to be smart. You don’t want to take on two or three of these games in a year. You don’t want to be playing this game in November either. I’m not trying to pick on director Hill,” said Albin. “We came here to build something in a great conference, in a great city. To do those things, we’re going to have to figure out some of those things. We’ve got to schedule smartly, we’ve got to fundraise.

“This game was scheduled around 2019. I’m sure director Hill did that when he just got on the job. Back then, (NIL) wasn’t even on the radar. It was a level playing field. Guys weren’t transferring all over the place,” Albin continued. “I’m going to use it as another reason you choose Charlotte. We are the SEC of Group of Six. Every week, you’ve got to bring it. You’re going to play great competition, and along with that, you get to play in a venue like this. I’m going to use it as a positive.”

What’s next?

Entering the final week of a dreadful Charlotte season, the 49ers will head to No. 24 Tulane next Saturday for the Green Wave’s senior day.

It will be the final collegiate game for 26 of Charlotte’s seniors, who will look to play spoiler against Jon Summrall’s playoff-hopeful Tulane squad. Tim Albin’s 49ers are likely headed for a 1-11 season in his first season as head coach, with a long offseason ahead to drastically improve the roster ahead of year two.

He talked about how much his wife has helped him through a rough first season.

“My wife is unbelievable, to keep me from … you know, you can only have so much Tito’s,” Albin said of his wife Brooke. “She keeps me on the straight and narrow.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM.